Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Pastor Joseph Crippen Wednesday, 25 February 2015; texts: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7; Matthew 11:25-30
Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Life is hard for many.

We know this every time we hear of someone’s diagnosis, death of a loved one, problems with family; every time we hear of a catastrophic natural event, or violent attack. Much about life is good and blessed, but for many, even ourselves, life can be very difficult.

Paul begins this beautiful second letter to the Corinthian Christians immediately addressing this. In his first letter he wrote to a divided community, struggling to be the body of Christ with each other. His tone in this later letter is different. Paul speaks of the community’s struggles with the pain of this world, not each other. In the first half of this letter, our midweek focus this Lent, Paul proclaims God’s grace enters the world’s pain and suffering, transforming believers.

Paul envisions a community’s heart filled to the depths with Christ’s resurrection life, a life and truth that transforms. It gives us competence to be faithful disciples. It’s a treasure for the world contained in our fragile disciple bodies. It’s a hope in a future with God that infuses our present with joy. It’s reconciliation with God that through us is extended to the world.

Today we begin where Paul begins, with the abundant consolation we have from God in Christ Jesus.

It’s striking that while Paul begins this letter with suffering and affliction, his answer is not to dwell on it.

We might expect that if the pain of the community of faith were Paul’s initial point, this letter could focus only on those difficulties. But Paul uses this opening to introduce his theme for these people: we belong to God in Christ Jesus and that changes everything.

The word he uses here, translated “consolation,” or “console” primarily meant “encouragement,” “exhortation.” This is not consolation saying, “poor you, you’ve got it tough.” This is consolation that walks alongside someone in pain and gives support and encouragement, helps bear the burden. The Greek word literally means “called alongside.”

Paul declares that in Christ Jesus God has moved alongside us in our life, and shares all the suffering we and the world endure.

Jesus promises this in the Gospel, too, to walk alongside us and help us bear our burdens.

Jesus uses the brilliant image of yoked oxen. The yoke enables two oxen to share the load, pull together. Jesus invites us to be yoked to him, so he can pull for us, help us in whatever we struggle with. In dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus showed he can bear the greatest burden we all face, our own deaths. Christ has carried that weight, so even when we face that reality for us and our loved ones, we are yoked into the strength and grace of the risen Lord and will be able to bear it.

This is Paul’s first word to his friends, to us: you belong to the Triune God in Christ Jesus, and so God is “called alongside” you, to encourage you, to bear your burdens with you. This is what Paul means by “consolation”: companionship with the Triune God, strength for our journey of life, grace to deal with whatever comes, even death.

But Paul’s got a deeper point about what this means for our lives.

This gift of being called alongside is now the community’s to offer to each other and the world.

We, belonging to Christ, who have the companionship, the “alongside-ness” of the Triune God, now are that same encouragement to others. We are “called alongside” each other. This is how God will truly be with people in all difficulty.

This letter proclaims the presence of God in the midst of the community, in the heart of the believers individually and collectively. From the start, this presence of God in our midst changes us to be the presence of God to others.

The community of faith serves each other as Christ visibly – able to be seen, tangibly – able to be touched. We are the real way God continues to walk alongside the people of this world.

The wonder is that by turning to the other we lose our own anxiety.

It’s easy to focus on our own pain, our own worries, as if we’re worse off than others. As Christ’s community, Paul says, we don’t have that option. We are made a community for each other and the world. By giving us the gift of knowing we are God’s presence to others, Paul turns us away from our focus on ourselves.

So St. Francis prayed that God would help him console others rather than seek to be consoled. Understand others more than worrying about whether others understood him. When we recognize our place as God’s healing grace walking alongside others – in our community, in the world – we quit feeling sorry for ourselves and find joy and grace in being God’s encouragement and accompanying presence to others.

Best of all, we actually make a difference in their lives walking alongside them, yoking to them, helping bear their burdens.

This is the great gift you, my sisters and brothers, are for me.

On several recent vacation Sundays I’ve realized I’m split in my appreciation for them. It’s good to have a Sunday off from work, a day of rest from my call. But the last thing I want to do on Sunday is find a place to worship, a community of faith. Here is where I want to be, even if I’m not supposed to be working. You are the presence of God in my life. You are the people “called alongside” me by God, who, yoked with me, help me bear my burdens.

Living in the presence of God, we are the presence of God, that’s Christ’s gift. Each of us sees God’s face of love and grace in the other, and is that same face to others.

That makes life far easier, no matter the circumstances. As we bear one another’s burdens, even as ours are borne by others, the encouragement and grace of God fills our hearts and lives and becomes a gift in the world.

February is not a high-point of the year. In fact, more than any other month, it seems to be the one that people just skip, pass over, and try desperately to make it through. This is quite understandable though, as March is coming, with its potential promise of longer days, more sunlight, and maybe, just maybe, above freezing temperatures. If you’re like me, or especially if you, too, have a dog that has to go outside constantly, you may realize that your shoulders are hunched tight and your teeth clench automatically when you open the door to head out anywhere. I don’t like this feeling all that much. I don’t like this annual battle with nature where our stubbornness collides and we both are determined to outlast one another. Inevitably, kindly, winter will give in like a wise friend, let up its grip on us all, and usher us to a more relaxed, excitable time when we don’t require a low consistent grumble of disagreement with the temperature or the wind-chill or the ice coating our cars.

As much as I don’t care for February, I sure stay there unnecessarily often in my faith and my perspective. I can hold on to things with a death grip, thinking that I am in the right, obviously, if only other people would see it too. Or I can be unaware, apathetic and elusive to my role in the Christian community thinking someone else will take care of things. I can hunch my shoulders to God and turn my back, not recognizing the moments that are available to warm up, melt the ice around my stubborn-ness, and let God work in me. Do you ever feel that tap on your shoulder - the one that tells you that you have so much more available to you if you would only relax your tense muscle between your ears or beating in your chest? Especially as we walk through this Lenten season, I am feeling that tap-tap-tap on my shoulder to loosen my grip on my feelings of busyness, stress, other obligations, or apathetic disregard for what my life truly needs. I don’t need it to be 75 degrees and sunny to feel relief. I don’t need 2 hours of free time in the morning after perfect sleep to feel a sense of peace and rest. I do, however, need to find solace in this Lenten season, to read through the daily devotions to feel centered in this time of reflection, and to take seriously the narrative of this journey to the cross.

It will still be cold outside for a while. That’s fine. But while I wait for the promise of Spring I do not have to wait for God’s promise of peace and life. Stay warm out there friends.

March 8, 2015: Third Sunday in Lent
Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19
I Corinthians 1:18-25
John 2:13-22

Sunday’s Adult Forum
March 1-22, 2015: Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Craig Koester, on the book of Revelation.

Lenten Devotional Book Available
"The Grain of Wheat," Susan Cherwien's new devotional booklet for Lent, is free and available at church. Pick one up for use during Lent!

Vestry Listening Sessions Continue

This Sunday, March 1, the Vestry Listening sessions continue. This is an opportunity for the congregation to discuss the Vision Expression statements introduced earlier this month.

This week’s focus will be on Congregational Life and Neighborhood Ministries. Following both the first and second liturgies, Sandra Pranschke (Congregational Life) and Carol Austermann (Neighborhood Ministries) will be available in the East and West Assembly rooms to hear your ideas on the work of their committees.

Grab your coffee and join the small group to talk. Each session will last 30-45 minutes, and you may move in and out as you wish.

Granlund Exhibit at Mount Olive
Mount Olive is currently hosting an exhibit of sculptures by the famed artist, Paul Granlund. Beginning in mid-February and going through mid-April, the exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts.

Paul Granlund wanted his sculptures to be viewed and enjoyed from all angles and even touched. The exhibit will be on display in the Chapel Lounge and assembly areas. We encourage members to come and see it, and to invite guests to visit.

Book Discussion Group Update
For the March 14 meeting we will discuss The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho; for April 11, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain; and for May 9, The Boat of Longing, by O. E. Rølvaag.

Not strictly a Bible study this time, Pr. Crippen will lead a four-week series studying “The Use of the Means of Grace,” our church’s 1991 statement on our sacramental practices. Presiding Bishop Eaton has asked all congregations to study and discuss this.

As always, the study begins with a light supper.

Volunteer at Feed My Starving Children
Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and we ship these meals to nearly 70 countries around the world.

Mount Olive Youth are going and invite everyone to volunteer with them! We have 26 spots reserved for Feed my Starving Children in Chanhassen on Saturday, March 7, from 7-9 pm. We plan to meet at church between 5-6 to share dinner beforehand and rides if needed. You can also meet us at the site.

If you are interested or need additional information, please contact Aimee Engebretson at enge0052@gmail.com or 612-387-1820, or Amy Thompson at amy.b.thompson@wellsfargo.com
Please include in your email:
-Full names of the people who will be attending (age 5 and over). And their ages if <18 .="" p="">-Your email address (this will be sent to them so they can send you a reminder about the event). You don't have to provide this if you don't want to.

Space is limited, so we can take the first 26 committed volunteers who email or call.

March is Minnesota FoodShare Month!
Donate cash or groceries to the local food shelf during Minnesota FoodShare month in March! A donation of money more than doubles the amount of food available to food shelves, because food shelves can purchase food at discounted prices. If you choose to give in this way, make your check payable to Mount Olive and write Food Shelf on the memo line. If you prefer to donate non-perishable groceries, they may be brought to the grocery cart in the coat room.

Night On The Street
April 17-18 is the annual Night On the Street (NOTS) event that TRUST Youth have participated in in recent years.

Youth in grades 6-12 spend a night in a cardboard box at Plymouth Congregational Church. Participants have gained a unique understanding in the difficulties that homeless youth have in Minnesota.

Since Mount Olive Youth have participated, we have had very cold weather and also warmer weather with rain.

The youth eat a soup kitchen meal and get a snack from the Fishes and Loaves truck from St. Joan of Arc Church. Programming for the evening includes testimonials from previously homeless youth and workers who help the youth, and information about where to find help.

Donations for Beacon Interfaith Housing Collabora-tive will be received through April 16. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to this important work, please contact Eric or Julie Manuel.

JRLC Day On the Hill
Calling ALL people of faith! Consider participating in the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) Day on the Hill on March 10, from 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. at the RiverCentre in St. Paul and the State Capital. This year's theme is Dignity in Democracy.

Use your gift of citizenship to speak out for the needs of the most vulnerable in Minnesota and make a difference. The keynote speaker is Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Vice President for Catholic Relief Services. There will also be Issue Briefings and District Table strategy sessions before we shuttle via buses to the Capitol to meet with our elected officials. The Social Justice issues and background papers that people of faith will be invited to advocate for on March 10 can be found by visiting JRLC online at: http://www.jrlc.org/advocacy/legislative-goals.

Register by Feb. 20 at www.jrlc.org/register-day-on-the-hill and the cost is $30, which includes breakfast, lunch and resources (after Feb. 20 the cost is $40). There is a flyer posted at the church for you to look at also.

As an extra bonus to the day, arrangements have been made for the group from Mount Olive to meet with Mount Olive member, Senator John Marty in his office at the State Capitol. Contact Connie Marty if you want to be included in this opportunity: conniejmarty@gmail.com; 651-633-8934.

Brochures with more information about the event and important ways to contact your representatives are placed on the cabinet in the West Assembly area.

Tickets: $25 for Adults; $23 for Seniors; $10 for Students (age 17 and under FREE!). For tickets or more information, visit www.NLCA.com. or call (888) 747-4589.

Valparaiso University Chorale Sings
On Sunday, March 1, at 4:00 p.m., the Valparaiso University Chorale will present a concert at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, 5005 Northwest Blvd, Plymouth.

The Chorale, directed by Dr. Christopher Cock, is among the top Lutheran collegiate choirs in the United States, and is dedicated to performing works that celebrate the University's Lutheran heritage as well as significant contemporary works in their original languages.

Concordia Choirs to Perform in Twin Cities
The Concordia Choir will present a concert on Saturday, March 7, 7:30 pm at Roseville Lutheran Church, 1215 Roselawn Ave. W. in Roseville. Tickets available at concordiatickets.com

The Concordia College Chapel Choir will present a concert on Saturday, March 7, 7:30 pm, at First Lutheran Church, 1555 40th Ave. NE, Columbia Heights. A freewill offering will be received.

Neighborhood Ministries NewsAnna Kingman

Opportunities to BE involved:

Mark your calendars for March! There’s quite a bit going on so stay informed and be involved. More information is available outside of the main office or by contacting Anna Kingman at neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org

Feed My Starving Children
Take part in packing meals that feed and sustain children around the world. The Youth committee needs 26 pairs of hands on Sat. March 7th from 7:00-9:00 in Chanhassen. More info on page 3.

Joint Religious Legislative Coalition Day on the Hill
Show up and speak up on issues facing our State on Tuesday March 10th. The all-day conference will address issues such as: childcare assistance, payday lending reform, and human trafficking with time to meet with legislators. Register at www.jrlc.org. Let me know so we can all go together! More information on page 5.

Go see Bottom
A play written and performed by students at Slate theater, this story addresses a young girl's complex experience with sex-trafficking. A discussion will follow the performance about this issue and what ways the community can respond. Sat. March 14, at 7:00pm at Minnehaha Upper Academy.

Better Halves Workshop
Talking about money isn’t always fun, but it can be done well. Brightpeak financial is offering a FREE couples workshop about the relationship that each half brings to money and tools to use to manage that partnership well. Childcare will be provided. If this isn’t for you, think of a couple in your life that would benefit - which is anyone! Sat. March 21 9:00-11:30am. Register at: brightpeakfinancial.com/betterhalves. Promo code: mountolive15.

Who We Are, Where We Are Map
Have you wondered about where your fellow members come from on Sunday mornings and how the community is spread out in the area? Let’s all find out!

Please “pin yourself” on the map hanging in the East Assembly room so we can see who we are, where we are, as a congregation.

Instructions will be posted by the map – please contribute your pin.

Neighborhood Ministries Wish List
The first item for this Wish List is: snacks for tutoring kids.

There are 13 students and 12 tutors. Snacks are needed by 7:00pm on Tuesday evenings.
Some snack suggestions are: apples, clementines, cookies, packs of pretzels, ice cream cups, baby carrots, you get the idea!

Please sign up on the sheet in the East Assembly or contact Anna.

Church Library News
Have you ever stopped in our church library to check out our periodicals rack? Consistently you will find there The Lutheran, Lutheran Journal, Lutheran Forum, Lutheran Vistas and Sojourner's magazines, plus large print sermons by the speaker of The Lutheran Hour, which are produced and shared freely by the Lutheran Braille Workers. Some of these periodicals are also in the revolving rack in the Courtyard Library, located in the Commons area across from the Chapel Lounge. New to our periodicals rack is The Christian Century magazine, which we will receive twice a month for a year. I have asked our good friend, Rod Olson, to give us some comments about the excellence of this fine periodical and this is what he has written:

"The Christian Century, is the most influential and widely-read magazine on religion in the United States and you are encouraged to page through a copy soon and see first-hand what an interesting, thoughtful, presentation of religion is offered therein -- from news items, features, reviews of books, media and art, and a section called "Living the Word," which presents reflections of the lectionary texts for the coming Sundays, and much more."

"Interestingly, Martin E. Marty, whose ties to Mount Olive extend back several decades, and whose current claim to fame is that he is the father of our own John Marty, was for decades also on The Christian Century staff and wrote an editorial comment on the inside back cover of each issue. Many people have collected these writings since they continue to educate and inspire. Dr. Marty remains a continuing editor of The Christian Century."

Please stop in the library soon and share your reaction to this new magazine with members of the volunteer library staff.

I am a member of Friends of the Hennepin County Library and their spring 2015 newsletter includes two noteworthy quotes which I would like to share with you as well: from Norman Cousins, "A library is the delivery room for the birth of ideas, a place where history comes to life;" and from Bill Gates, "As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."

I can't emphasize enough that especially parents of young children should plan to acquaint their youngsters often with the attributes of their local public libraries, as well as the importance of periodic visits to our own church library here at Mount Olive!

Monday, February 23, 2015

Growing up Catholic, Lent for me was always a time to “give something up.” Chocolate. Soda. TV. And on Fridays, meat, unless we forgot it was Friday, or forgot it was Lent. Still today, it doesn't feel like Lent until I have put away the basket of candy that typically sits out in my office!

Giving up little things can seem trivial, but the ritual of abstaining from something that I usually do or consume without thinking about it served, and still serves, an important pur-pose for me. It sets Lent apart from ordinary time, inviting the question that echoes through the Jewish tradition of Passover, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” Why is Lent different from all other seasons?

Lent is a time to be aware of things that get in the way of my relationship with God. When I honestly pay attention, I can see how sometimes the silliest little
things, like a TV show or chocolate, can go from being a treat to enjoy to something that prevents me from being fully present to God and those around me. Lent invites us to set these things aside and trust in God, knowing we are God’s people.

Our Old Testament scripture readings during Lent call us to awareness of who we are as people of the covenant, as baptized children of God. After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah, promising that God would never again flood the earth. God has promised to be faithful to us, even when we are not faithful. Our baptism is an outward sign of that unbreakable covenant.

Whether or not you, or I, choose to “give something up” this year, Lent is a season set apart for reflection. There are many ways for us to take that time at Mount Olive as a community. I look forward to seeing you here!

The Grain of Wheat, Susan Cherwien's new devotional booklet for Lent, is free and available at church. Pick one up for use during Lent!

Vestry Listening Sessions
This Sunday, Feb. 22, the Vestry Listening sessions continue. This is an opportunity for the congregation to discuss the Vision Expression statements introduced earlier this month. This week’s focus will be on Missions and Property. Following both the first and second liturgies, Judy Hinck (Missions) and Brenda Bartz (Property) will be available in the East and West Assembly rooms to hear your ideas on the work of their committees.

Grab your coffee and join the small group to talk. Each session will last 30-45 minutes, and you may move in and out as you wish.

Meals for the Manuels
The Manuel family would like to thank everyone who signed up and brought us wonderful meals during Julie's treatments. We know it wasn't easy with construction, road closures, and parking restrictions on top of a very torn up street. It meant so much to us to have the help of a meal each week. We'd also like to thank all those who showed support with kind words, listening, and talking to us.

We are so thankful to be a part of the wonderful congregation that is called Mount Olive.

- Julie, Steve & Eric Manuel

Book Discussion Group Update
For the March 14 meeting we will discuss The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho; for April 11, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain; and for May 9, The Boat of Longing, by O. E. Rølvaag.

Not strictly a Bible study this time, Pr. Crippen will lead a four-week series studying “The Use of the Means of Grace,” our church’s 1991 statement on our sacramental practices. Presiding Bishop Eaton has asked all congregations to study and discuss this.

As always, there will be a light supper. If anyone wishes to provide the first week’s meal, please let Pr. Crippen know.

Granlund Exhibit at Mount Olive
Mount Olive is currently hosting an exhibit of sculptures by the famed artist, Paul Granlund. Beginning in mid-February and going through mid-April, the exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts.

Paul Granlund wanted his sculptures to be viewed and enjoyed from all angles and even touched. The exhibit will be on display in the Chapel Lounge and assembly areas. We encourage members to come and see it, and to invite guests to visit.

Soup-Makers Needed!
Soup makers are needed to provide soup and bread for our midweek Lenten meals. Soup and bread for the lunch following Wednesday midday Eucharist should feed 40-50 people, and for the supper before Wednesday Evening Prayer, we need soup and bread for about 15-20 people.

If you can help by signing up to bring a meal (or two!), the sign up chart is available at the serving window at coffee hour on Sundays.

Common Hope Vision Team 2016

Would you like to learn more about a Mount Olive Vision Team to visit Common Hope in Guatemala in 2016? We will be an intergenerational team of 10-12 people, high school age or older. Common Hope will ask what skills/talents our team brings and design our visit to use our gifts. We will learn and prepare. We will be gone for eight days. The cost is $800 plus airfare. Fund raising is an option. Mount Olive Missions Committee is committed to supporting the $4,000 program donation.

These dates are being considered: winter, possibly Jan.24-31, 2016; early summer, possibly June 19-26, 2016; and late summer, possibly July 31-Aug 7, 2016. We would like to decide by Easter.

Get your input registered! Fill out a yellow interest form and leave it in the church office or with an usher, talk to a member of the committee (Lisa Ruff, Mark Pipkorn, Paul Schadewald, Mike Edwins) or contact Judy Hinck at judyhinck@gmail.com or 612-824-4918. Do it today!

TRUST Youth: Empty Bowls
On Sunday February 8, TRUST Youth participated in painting bowls to be donated to the Empty Bowls Event to be held at a soup dinner in March. The youth went to Simply Jane's Studio in S. Minneapolis where they had a lot of fun painting and having pizza. The Empty Bowls Event the youth donated their bowls to will be held on Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at 1111 Main Street, Hopkins. Hours are 11am to 7pm. The meal is a simple meal of soup and bread donated by local restaurants. Donations benefit ICA Food Shelf and ResourceWest.

Night On The Street
April 17-18 is the annual Night On The Street (NOTS) event that TRUST Youth have participated in in recent years.

Youth in grades 6-12 spend a night in a cardboard box at Plymouth Congregational Church. Participants have gained a unique understanding in the difficulties that homeless youth have in Minnesota.

Since Mount Olive Youth have participated, we have had very cold weather and also warmer weather with rain.

The youth eat a soup kitchen meal and get a snack from the Fishes and Loaves truck from St. Joan of Arc Church. Programming for the evening includes testimonials from previously homeless youth and workers who help the youth, and information about where to find help.

Donations for Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative will be received through April 16. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to this important work, please contact Eric or Julie Manuel.

From the Church Library
Approximately a month ago the Congregational Care Committee requested a list of books available in our library that might be useful for the "End of Life Concerns" seminar which was held at church on Saturday, February 7. A correlating display of the books listed has had a prominent place in our library since that time, but will remain available only one more Sunday. Because the full list is long, we are including here only the headings used for this list, which might help you know if something mentioned applies to you and your family at this time.

•Reflections on the Evening of Life
•Coping with Disabilities as We Age
•Living with a Life-Threatening Illness
•On Death and Dying
•Sorrow and Grief
•Widowhood
•The Bereaved Parent
•The Healing Power of Grief

This quote from Charles W. Eliot is appropriate for us to remember at all times: "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers."

- Leanna Kloempken

JRLC Day On the Hill

Calling ALL people of faith! Consider participating in the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) Day on the Hill on March 10, from 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. at the RiverCentre in St. Paul and the State Capital. This year's theme is Dignity in Democracy.

Use your gift of citizenship to speak out for the needs of the most vulnerable in Minnesota and make a difference. The keynote speaker is Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Vice President for Catholic Relief Services. There will also be Issue Briefings and District Table strategy sessions before we shuttle via buses to the Capitol to meet with our elected officials. The Social Justice issues and background papers that people of faith will be invited to advocate for on March 10 can be found by visiting JRLC online at: http://www.jrlc.org/advocacy/legislative-goals.

Register by Feb. 20 at www.jrlc.org/register-day-on-the-hill and the cost is $30, which includes breakfast, lunch and resources (after Feb. 20 the cost is $40). There is a flyer posted at the church for you to look at also.

As an extra bonus to the day, arrangements have been made for the group from Mount Olive to meet with Mount Olive member, Senator John Marty in his office at the State Capitol. Contact Connie Marty if you want to be included in this opportunity: conniejmarty@gmail.com; 651-633-8934.

Brochures with more information about the event and important ways to contact your representatives are placed on the cabinet in the West Assembly area.

Tickets: $25 for Adults; $23 for Seniors; $10 for Students (age 17 and under FREE!). For tickets or more information, visit www.NLCA.com. or call (888) 747-4589.

News from the NeighborhoodAnna Kingman

In effort to share in the relationships being built through our interaction in the neighborhood, we will hear from the people who find support, relief, and help through Mount Olive.

Profiles: Kenneth

Quite a few of the men that come in to seek help are recently out of prison and trying to gain back a normal, healthy life. Kenneth has known the church for a while even before serving his time. Now out, he lives at Volunteers of America on E. Lake St. and just got a job working at Goodwill collecting the donations and separating them. He came in the office with relief and excitement to be so close to becoming independent. He just needed work boots and a bus pass. He relies on VOA to keep him on track and has taken seriously his responsibility to be able to move on. I appreciated his confidence and positivity and sense of achievement he was exuding. Note: Minnesota recently passed a new expungement law that allows certain crimes on a record to be sealed, improving opportunities for employment. The Star Tribune article is posted downstairs or can be read at: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/289846451.html

Opportunities to BE involved:

•Register for early-bird rates for the JRLC Day on the Hill on March 10.

•Attend the Saturday March 14 presentation of “Bottom,” a student-written play on sex trafficking followed by a community discussion on our response at Minnehaha Academy (more info to come).

Getting to Know Our Neighbors
Part of sharing in community is understanding one another through language, culture, or experience.

You may have noticed that in the Muslim community there are many men named Abdi. “Abdi” means “slave.”

In the religious sense, “Islam” means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. Allah is known to have 99 different names (i.e. kind, merciful, almighty). Abdi is usually accompanied by one of these names so: Abdi Kareem means “slave – kind.”

Now you know a little more!

The Cold Weather Continues …
…and so does the need for hats, scarves, mittens, gloves, and coats.

Please bring new and gently used cold weather gear to church for distribution to those who need them most. These items may be brought to the designated area in the coat room at Mount Olive.

We will continue to collect these items as long as the weather remains cold.

Thanks for whatever help you can offer.

End of Life Decisions: The conversation continues - - -
Forty people attended the February 7 workshop on End of Life Decisions, which followed the forum presentation the previous Sunday by Pastor Crippen. (View at http://youtu.be/npRfQf8TTJg). Thanks to Pastor Crippen, Rob Ruff, and Kathy Thurston for presentations helpful in looking at how we as people of faith approach our deaths and the deaths of our loved ones.

Health Care Directives served as a focal point for discussion and stimulated thinking about how such tools are not only helpful but also essential in making our wishes known to others about critical end of life decisions. A tentative workshop is being planned for Saturday, April 18, from 10:00 AM – noon to specifically address the Honoring Choices Health Care directive. How do we know what we want and what are the options? How and with whom do we have the conversation with? These and other questions will be discussed. Help with completing the form will be available, as well as a notary to finalize any documents that are completed on that date.

Scheduling this workshop is dependent upon the demand for it. If you would like to participate, please let Marilyn Gebauer or the church office know in advance. You can contact Marilyn at 612-306 -8872 or gebauevm@bitstream.net, or the church office at (612) 827-5919.
Some of the suggestions made for follow-up workshops include:

Estate planning – with or without an agent

Funeral planning – burial rites, “green funerals,” the Columbarium

Writing a will

Assisted suicide – ethical and faith considerations

Establishing a volunteer group at MO to serve as healthcare proxies for fellow members who are without close family, friends, etc.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Noah experienced a radical housecleaning by the waters of the flood that carried him in the ark. When the clutter of corruption and chaos in his old world was washed away, God’s covenant of love and faithfulness became clear. God’s covenant is revealed to each of us in the waters of our baptism.Vicar Meagan McLaughlin First Sunday in Lent, year B Texts: Genesis 9:8-17, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:9-15

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We moved into our house in the Longfellow neighborhood in the heat of summer, and immediately began to take advantage of the bike trail along the River Parkway. My favorite part of the ride into downtown is the stretch from Franklin Ave to the Bohemian Flats, because I love the feeling of flying down the steep hill on my bike, and just as you get to the bottom, the river seems to appear almost out of nowhere, as if you hadn’t been riding alongside it the whole way. The trees on the river banks up to that point are so thick with leaves, you can easily forget the river is even there!

Biking or walking along the Parkway in the late fall or winter is an entirely different experience. Once the leaves have fallen from the trees, the view is clear from the trail to the river below, and the first time I walked there in the fall, I was really surprised to realize that the river had been there, that close, all along. When the leaves are gone, I can see what was hidden before.

The same thing happens when I take time to clear away the “leaves” in my own life. In preparation for doing taxes this year, I spent a couple of hours one morning going through files, and cast away a few trees worth of paper in the process. The feeling of lightness and clarity that came out of that was liberating! Suddenly, the clutter was gone, there was space between files in the drawer, and we actually know what is in there.

Noah experienced a radical housecleaning when the flood swept away everything he knew, leaving only his family and two of every animal in the ark. When the waters receded, and the ark landed, God showed Noah the foundation of their life on the renewed land. The clutter of corruption and chaos in Noah’s old world was washed away, and the promise of God was made clear. God established a covenant with Noah to protect and provide for him. God promised to be faithful.

God’s covenant was not just with Noah, but with Noah’s descendants and every creature of all flesh. God promised that God will never again destroy the earth, and gave the earth to us all as a place of abundance. God promises to protect us and provide for us.

And the best part is, God’s covenant with us comes with no conditions. God makes this covenant with us out of love. The Gospel of Mark tells us that when Jesus was baptized, God spoke to Jesus, saying “You are my son, my beloved.” This is the basis for God’s covenant with Noah, and it is the basis for the covenant that each of us are baptized into. Our baptisms are a sign of God’s promise to us. We are all God’s children, beloved of God. You are God’s child, beloved of God. You can’t earn that. And you don’t have to. It is simply there, like the river is always running at the bottom of the cliffs next to the Parkway. We just can’t always see it.

The truth of God’s promise, and who we are as God’s children, gets hidden in the clutter of many things in our lives, and we can even forget God is there. We get easily wrapped up in the “doing” of our daily lives, and in the midst of the busyness we are not aware of God who makes our “doing” possible. The truth of who we are is buried under messages of doubt, and judgment, and shame, until we can’t see the love and call of God for us, and if we can see it, we don’t believe it. We get caught up in striving for whatever we think will make us happy or satisfy us, be it the approval of other people or financial success, or addictions to alcohol, or food, or drugs, and we forget that the one thing that truly gives meaning to our lives is right in front of us.

Just like the dying of the leaves each fall clears the view to the river below, and makes new growth possible in the spring, we all need to take time to clear the clutter from our own lives. It is a natural part of the cycle of the life we live as children of God. There are times of growth and abundance, and there are times when what is not needed, what is destructive to us and our relationships, what is not true about our God, needs to be washed away.

Sometimes this can feel like we have entered the ark in the midst of the flood—we are awakened suddenly by a change in our lives, and overwhelmed by awareness and emotion as we adjust to the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or even the birth of a child. We are changed as all the things that distracted us before are swept away, and we can see what is really important. In the midst of this experience, we realize we have no control over this journey. Like Noah, we are just along for the ride. Over time, as we look back, we can see the hand of God, who guides in our journey, leading us through the flood. The waters that seemed to threaten to wash us away become a reminder of the promise God made to us in the waters of our baptism: no matter what happens, God will never abandon us.

Other times, our experience of clearing out the clutter of our lives may feel more gradual—perhaps more like Jesus’s journey through the wilderness after his baptism. For no particular reason, it may seem, our perspective shifts, we recognize things in our lives that are blocking our relationship with God, and feel moved to let go of them. The process of letting go can leave us feeling somewhat empty or dry, even as our awareness of God in our lives slowly grows to fill the space that has been created in us.

However it happens, whatever it is that brings us to a place of reflection and awareness of our “clutter,” looking honestly at ourselves is not easy. It can be uncomfortable as we begin to change and see things in new ways, and it can be painful when we attend to places of shame, grief, and wounded-ness that we hold within us. The covenant of God’s love and presence with us stands firm, even then. Especially then. God is present with us, and has put us here together so that we never need to walk through this life alone. And God works in us through these times of spiritual housecleaning to make it possible for us in all our humanness to grow in our relationship with God, and be fully present to whatever God calls us to do in this world.

In the season of Lent we take time as a community of faith to remind ourselves and each other of our humanness, of the reality that we will never be finished changing and growing. Lent invites us to pay attention to the things that block our view, that stand between us and our God, and to ask God to clear that clutter from our lives so that we can better serve God and each other. We remember God’s faithfulness and love, and that, along with Noah, we are all people of the covenant. And when the leaves of our lives have fallen from the trees, we will realize once again that God has been, and will be, with us all along.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

We are all dying, and today we face that so that we never forget it in the days to come; in that truth we discover the deeper truth of God’s life and grace that, in the cross, raises us now and always into God’s eternal love.Pr. Joseph G. Crippen Ash Wednesday text: 2 Corinthians 5:20b – 6:10

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

So, how quickly will you wash off the cross of ashes from your forehead?

It’s always the question, isn’t it? Will you be where you don’t want people looking at it? Do you care? Our children always had an eagerness to get washed off pretty soon after church.

I’m not sure it matters. But this does: how quickly will you forget that you had a cross of ashes on your forehead? How soon will “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” be shunted to the attic of your brain, not to be thought again?

Our world is terrified of that truth. So terrorists have power over whole nations: we’re afraid to die and they threaten us with death. So billions of dollars of profit are made by companies all over the world promising pills or creams or foods or clothes or cars they say will make us young, invincible.

Yet we come here today and have burnt ashes drawn in the shape of a torture device on our foreheads. How strange is that? We come here today to be told we are dust, we are going to die. We don’t think like the world.

Unless we wash this out of our minds as quickly as off our foreheads as soon as we get home. Our challenge is to understand and embed in our hearts and lives what it is we do today, why that cross, those words, need to stay with us as if they were permanently visible not only to us but even to others.

The world considers such talk of death morbid. It’s really the opposite.

Living in a culture and society where every single person will die one day, every one, yet where our emotional, financial, physical, and mental energy is expended in vast amounts to deny that reality, that’s morbid. If you’re on the Titanic and it’s going down, it’s not morbid to recognize something’s amiss.

For us, there is joy and hope in what we do today. To look at a little child with a cross of ashes on her forehead next to an octogenarian with the same is to see that both share a humanity, a life, that is finite. That’s truth. But to look at those two together is also to see in that cross shape that this life they share is grace and light.

Placing a cross of ashes on ourselves doesn’t make us mortal, it reminds us we are. Facing or not facing our mortality isn’t an option, whether we die young or old, of natural causes or violent tragedy. We are going to die. There is great freedom accepting this truth. Then we can learn how to live with it.

Paul talks of reconciliation with God: our acceptance of our mortality is also reconciliation with truth.

Whether or not the Triune God came to the world in Christ Jesus and ended the power of death, death has always been reality. It’s part of God’s creative process: things live and die and return to the earth to feed other things that live and die. Denying this only leads to anxiety, frustration, fear. Today we reconcile ourselves to the truth that we are mortal, we die, and we accept that. We began in dust, we return to dust.

Yet we belong to the Triune God, creator of all that is, who knows what to do with dust and ashes, who creates life out of dust and ashes from the beginning. In the reconciliation Paul talks about, this God did enter our deadly existence, took on our reality, dust to dust. Ashes to ashes. When Jesus was born he was born into our death, well before the cross.

But our great mystery is the cross, the shape of the ashes on our forehead. In willingly taking on an evil death, God somehow killed death. That’s what we realize at the empty tomb: our truth is still there, we die. But it is all changed now. Jesus takes our mortality, our sin and brokenness and death, and dies with it. When he rises from death, he brings us, too, joining us to the immortality of the Triune God.

We still die. But we die as people joined to the eternal life of the Triune God forever, so death isn’t an end but a beginning.

That’s our joy today. Knowing the whole truth, we can live.

We are marked with a cross of ashes in the same place we received a cross of oil at the font, the same place we mark a cross of water each time we remind ourselves of our baptism.

This cross marks our whole lives, not just our foreheads: in ashes, for we are dying. In oil, for we belong to the Triune God. In water, for we are washed and made new. And everything’s different.

Paul describes the suffering and difficulty the believers have faced: afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, sleepless nights . . . it’s a long list. Yet in this reconciliation in Christ’s death and resurrection, we live that list very differently. We face the same pains and tragedies anyone does. But we face them as people willing to accept them, as people who know these are not the final truth about us. They have no power over us.

We are seen as impostors, then, Paul says, as people who live as if there is a greater truth others can’t see. And there is, so we are not false but true.

We are unknown to the world, Paul says, confusing, odd, because we live both in the truth of our mortality and in the truth of God’s eternal love. But we’re well known to God.

We look as if we have nothing, yet we have everything; we face sorrow head on but are rejoicing.

And we are dying, we claim it, accept it, but we are really alive in God now and always.

The cross is always on our forehead, on our bodies, on our lives.

There’s a story, I don’t know if it’s true, that some church used lighter fluid to burn palms for their ashes, and the petroleum residue gave slight burns to the people’s skin, so that even after they washed there was a bright red cross for a day or so.

We won’t have that bright red mark after we wash. But the cross on us is just as indelible. It reminds us that our journey of faith travels through suffering and hardships, even to death, with God’s grace and hand supporting us, giving us life. Our cross reminds us that the cross of Christ transforms our deadly truth, so we find hope in despair, light in darkness, life in death.

This cannot be washed off of us, thanks be to God. The waters of baptism have covered us forever in this life in the midst of death, this green shoot out of our ashes.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

We cannot often see the true child of God within ourselves; our companions on the journey witness to what they see as together we all are being transformed into the likeness of Christ.Pr. Joseph G. Crippen The Transfiguration of Our Lord, year B texts: Mark 9:2-9; 2 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

It was a really bad week for Simon Peter.

“Six days later,” Mark says today. Well, six days ago Peter declared his Master, Jesus, was the Messiah. Moments later, having told his Master that Messiahs can’t suffer and die, Peter was called Satan, a stumbling block.

He must have felt sick that week. One of the inner circle, a leader of the twelve, we imagine him keeping scarce at the back of the group, avoiding eye contact with Jesus. How do you recover from such a blow? What kind of a person did Peter think he was in those painful, sad days?

Now, six days later, as Peter woke on this day, his Lord called to him, and James, and John. Just like always. “Come with me.” Tell me: what does Peter feel about himself now? Elated to be included again, as if nothing had happened? There must still have been fear and doubt. His confused speech up on the mountain later that day showed he was still unsure, still misunderstanding Jesus’ mission.

The real question is less what Peter thinks of himself, and more what Jesus thinks of him. Peter’s misery, self-doubt, sense of failure are only his point of view. Yes, Jesus rebuked him when he tried to block him from the path that Jesus must walk. Apparently that didn’t mean Jesus despised or rejected him. Jesus saw his true value and worth; so he kept coming back to Peter, calling him to lead.

This day reveals true identities.

Jesus is shown in his divine glory; his truth as Son of God is witnessed by three disciples. Peter’s true identity is leader of the twelve, a rock Jesus trusts. At this point, convinced he’s a failure as a disciple, Peter doesn’t see it, but Jesus does. So when Jesus needs his three leaders with him on the mountain, of course he brings Peter.

Jesus isn’t changed on this mountain, his true identity is revealed. So is Peter’s. Peter needed Jesus to see him for who he truly was. It may also be why Elisha, knowing his master was leaving with the Lord, needed to stay with Elijah, so he could have assurance he was the true successor. We need others to see us for who we truly are when we can’t.

What is the truth about Peter, then? Elisha? You, me? Who knows it?

We often worry about how we fail, convinced we’re not good enough, that others are better. Is this our truth? Many times we feel as if others judge us, don’t think well of us. We’re never too far from that child within that remembers such fear from our school days, fear we’re the only one who doesn’t fit. We can pretend – and we do – that we don’t have problems, but most of us know that dark night of self-doubt and sense of failure. Is this our truth? Peter’s experience of those six days is familiar to many.

Yet Jesus saw the truth about Peter when he couldn’t. Elijah saw the truth about Elisha when he couldn’t. Who sees the truth about us? Our answer emerges on this mountain, both who we truly are and how we see that truth ourselves.

It all has to do with who is with us.

We need sisters and brothers in faith to look at us and see the child of God we are, to see what God sees.

Jesus knows he’s headed to the cross, but today he goes up a mountain, shows his true glory, and speaks with the two great leaders of Israel, Elijah and Moses. Jesus needed this, strength and encouragement from the great prophet and the great law-giver for the path to the cross that is ahead.

So why bring three relatively incompetent disciples along? Not so they can tell others, he makes that clear. Not until the resurrection, he says, but even then they don’t do much with it. After the resurrection this is pretty unimportant. A mountain light show is nothing compared to the Lord rising from the dead. The early preaching Luke records and the earliest writing we have from Paul, don’t mention this day on the mountain, only the cross and empty tomb.

What if Jesus just needed these three as companions, to see the truth about him? The truth about who he is, before his path takes him to a place that doesn’t look at all like God’s glory? He’s preparing Peter and the others to face the truth of the cross by giving them a glimpse of his true glory. Now, whenever they look at Jesus, no matter how awful it gets, they can remember who he really is.

That seems to be our role as companions to each other in this journey of faith. We look at each other and no matter what we see outwardly, we look deeper and see a blessed child of God. Then we witness to that, so it can be known.

This is how Jesus helps us when we think poorly of ourselves in our darkest hours: we are given each other to see the real truth. So when any of us despairs because we’re sure we’re not good enough, not cutting it, someone here can look at that one and remind them they see a glorious child of God.

You see, we are being transformed into people who look like Christ Jesus.

That’s the promise Paul makes in the verses a little before our second reading today, words the Cantorei are singing for us. Yet, just as with Jesus’ transfiguration, it’s not really that we are being changed.

We already are people who look like Christ Jesus, people who in baptism are made into the image of God. At least, we look like that to the Triune God who loves us. God sees the fullness of who we are, of what we are becoming, as Jesus looked at Peter and saw a great leader, a special disciple, essential to spreading the Good News.

Our job is to remind each other of this, to look for this image of God in each other, even if it’s not easy to see outwardly. Jesus had every reason to look at Peter’s failings, his cowardice, his confusion, but he looked deeper to the real truth.

So we look at each other. Beyond the failings, beyond the sin and brokenness, we look into the eyes of our sisters and brothers and see the image of Christ. We as a community look at each other with the eyes of God, the loving eyes of the One who died for us and now lives. We share these loving eyes of God and call out this joy we see in each other.

As we are transformed into Christ, more and more people will be able to see this in us.

God sees us this way fully, but of course none of us show this to the world fully yet. As we learn to see Christ in each other, we begin to expect it in each other, and even start to see hope ourselves that it is our real truth, not that other that binds us. When this happens, our truth of being the image of Christ will become more and more obviously visible on the outside. God’s forgiveness truly heals us and changes us into better people, people like Christ, and we learn to see this.

The more we see, the more it becomes real to us. The more it becomes real to us, the more the rest of the world can see it.

Paul says God shines in our hearts to give us knowledge of the glory of God in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ. That same divine light shines in our hearts to help us see this transformation and glory in each other.

We might feel like Peter many days. But thanks be to God, who gives us companions in our journey of faith here, with God’s light in their eyes and God’s love in their hearts, people who see us for who we truly are, until, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, that’s exactly what we see in ourselves, and it becomes our visible witness we live in the world.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Extra Time
I was talking to someone about our Eucharist February 2 on the feast of the Presentation. He said, “I don’t do the extra ones, only Sundays.” This is not uncommon. We had 35 at that Eucharist, far from our usual Sunday crowd. But the comment was intriguing.

Sunday is Transfiguration, so we are on the cusp of our season of “extra” liturgies. Ash Wednesday is next week, Eucharist at noon and 7:00 p.m. Noon Eucharist and 7:00 p.m. Vespers for the next five Wednesdays after. In the six days between the two liturgies on Passion Sunday and the two liturgies on Easter Sunday we will have eight additional liturgies.

I love this time of “extras,” Lent through Holy Week. That’s the truth I want to share. I was standing at the altar on that Monday, Feb. 2, having just veiled the elements after sharing Christ’s Body and Blood as a people of God, and I was filled with a sense of joy and peace, and the thought, “There is nowhere else I’d rather be right now than right here, with these people, having Eucharist.” This sense comes to me almost every time at our “extra” liturgies.

It wasn’t that on February 2 I absolutely felt a need to celebrate Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, to hear Simeon’s song, though that is worthy. The joy was that a group of us were able to gather together once more before the altar, pray, listen, sing, eat, rejoice, and be together in the love of God. That we took time in the middle of our lives to come together around Word and Table, that this was where we needed to be. That’s why I love the “extras.”

They’re coming fast and thick starting next week, these “extras,” thanks be to God. Thank you, too, for being a place where we can come together any time of the week for the grace of God’s presence, and the blessing of our life together as Christ’s Body. Most days there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

Thursday Evening Study Returns February 26
Starting February 26 the Thursday evening study will begin meeting again in the Chapel Lounge from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Not strictly a Bible study this time, Pr. Crippen will lead a five week series studying “The Use of the Means of Grace,” our church’s 1991 statement on our sacramental practices. Presiding Bishop Eaton has asked all congregations to study and discuss this.

As always, there will be a light supper. If anyone wishes to provide the first week’s meal, please let Pr. Crippen know.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads
For their meeting February 14, the Book Discussion Group will read Wise Blood, by Flannery O’Connor. For their meeting on March 14, they will read The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.

Attention, Mount Olive Worship Assistants!
The Servant Schedule for the second quarter of 2015 (April-June) will be published at the beginning of March 2015. The deadline for submitting requests to me is February 15, 2015.
Please email your requests to me at peggyrf70@gmail.com. Thanks!

- Peggy Hoeft

Lent Begins.Ash Wednesday, February 18Holy Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes at Noon & 7:00 p.mAll are welcome.

An Evening with Donald Jackson
Concordia University St. Paul invites all to a rare U.S. speaking engagement by Donald Jackson, renowned British calligrapher, illuminator, and artistic director of The Saint John's Bible. This event will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. at Buetow Music Auditorium, Concordia University St. Paul, 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.
This event is free and seating will be on a first come first served basis.

Choral Music Fans, Take Note!
The St. Olaf Choir (Northfield, MN) will present a concert at Orchestra Hall (1111 Nicollet Mall)
this Sunday, Feb. 15, at 3:00 p.m. Ticket information is available at www.orchestrahall.com

The Concordia Choir (Moorhead, MN) will present a concert at Roseville Lutheran Church, 1215 Roselawn Ave. W., Roseville, on Sunday, March 7 at 7:30 pm. Ticket information is available at concordiatickets.com, or at the door.

Vestry Listening Sessions
This Sunday, Feb. 15, will be our first Listening session, an opportunity for the congregation to discuss the Vision Expression statements introduced earlier this month. This week’s focus will be on Evangelism.

Following both the first and second liturgies, Andrew Andersen (Director of Evangelism) will be available in the East and West Assembly rooms to hear your ideas on his committee’s work.

Grab your coffee and join the small group to talk. Each session will last 30-45 minutes, and you may move in and out as you wish.

Common Hope Vision Team 2016
Many thanks to all who helped with Taste of Guatemala last Sunday. Keep learning about the two ways that you can become more involved in our partnership with Common Hope: sponsorship of a student and joining a vision team. Brochures on both are available.

Would you like to learn more about a Mount Olive Vision Team to visit Common Hope in Guatemala in 2016? We will be an intergenerational team of 10-12 people, high school age or older. Common Hope will ask what skills/talents our team brings and design our visit to use our gifts. We will learn and prepare. We will be gone for eight days.

These dates are being considered: winter, possibly Jan.24-31, 2016; early summer, possibly June 19-26, 2016; and late summer, possibly July 31-Aug 7, 2016. We would like to decide by Easter.

Get your input registered! Fill out a yellow interest form and leave it in the church office or with an usher, talk to a member of the committee (Lisa Ruff, Mark Pipkorn, Paul Schadewald, Mike Edwins) or contact Judy Hinck at judyhinck@gmail.com or 612-824-4918. Do it today!

Granlund Exhibit at Mount Olive
Mount Olive will host an exhibit of sculptures by the famed artist, Paul Granlund, beginning in mid-February and going through mid-April. The exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts program.

Paul Granlund wanted his sculptures to be viewed and enjoyed from all angles and even touched. The exhibit will be on display in the Chapel Lounge and assembly areas. We encourage members to invite guests to visit.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper – Bring Your Palms!
The Shrove Tuesday pancake supper will be held this Tuesday, February 17, from 6 to 6:45 pm. Everyone is invited for an evening of pancakes and fun! At 6:45 pm we will observe the burning of the palms for the Ash Wednesday ashes.

Bring your dried palms from last Palm Sunday and leave them in the basket in the narthex. They will be burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday liturgies.

JRLC Day On the Hill
Calling ALL people of faith! Consider participating in the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) Day on the Hill on March 10, from 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. at the RiverCentre in St. Paul and the State Capital. This year's theme is Dignity in Democracy.

Use your gift of citizenship to speak out for the needs of the most vulnerable in Minnesota and make a difference. The keynote speaker is Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Vice President for Catholic Relief Services. There will also be Issue Briefings and District Table strategy sessions before we shuttle via buses to the Capitol to meet with our elected officials. The Social Justice issues and background papers that people of faith will be invited to advocate for on March 10 can be found by visiting JRLC online at: http://www.jrlc.org/advocacy/legislative-goals.

Register by Feb. 20 at www.jrlc.org/register-day-on-the-hill and the cost is $30, which includes breakfast, lunch and resources (after Feb. 20 the cost is $40). There is a flyer posted at the church for you to look at also.

As an extra bonus to the day, arrangements have been made for the group from Mount Olive to meet with Mount Olive member, Senator John Marty in his office at the State Capitol. Contact Connie Marty if you want to be included in this opportunity: conniejmarty@gmail.com; 651-633-8934.

Brochures with more information about the event and important ways to contact your representatives are placed on the cabinet in the West Assembly area.

So much of the world’s powerful choral music has emerged from peoples caged and hemmed-in by oppression. These works endure over centuries and across oceans to shine light on the human condition and pronounce the power of hope, and that is what you’ll experience during these special performances: hope.

To purchase tickets or for more information about these concerts, please call (888) 747-4589 or visit www.nlca.com.

News from the Neighborhood
Anna Kingman

In effort to share in the relationships being built through our interaction in the neighborhood, we will hear from the people who find support, relief, and help through Mount Olive.

Profiles: Yourself.

The message that has been most prominent throughout this week is the value and importance taking care of ourselves in order to take care of one another. Through many avenues, God has been gently nudging me (and others I believe) to stop, slow down, and take time to nourish my own spirit so that I even more capable of showing grace and love to others. Our benefits provider, Portico, is promoting the discipline of stillness. My friend recommended a podcast from Thich Nhat Hanh, a zen Buddhist monk and peace activist speaking on awareness and being present. Last night I read a TED interview titled, “Want to be happy? Slow down” with monk Matthieu Ricard and journalist Pico Iyer. Matthieu said, “Stillness is to avoid the chaotic aspect of the mind, and then you can deal with thoughts and emotions, or sometimes you just sit or rest in that pure awareness. That’s a place of immense peace.” We, too, are members of this neighborhood that need care and give care – what better to offer than our own peace so that we can notice beauty or hurt or joy or need around us.

There is so much cool stuff happening in this area and in Minneapolis -so much to try to do and be. But the messages that I’m hearing right now are ones to be calm, be patient, be quiet, so that we can actually hear and respond when we are called. Peace to you and your mind.
(For info on these articles or TED Talks, feel free to email neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org or call at 612.827.5919 x14).

Getting to Know Our Neighbors
Part of sharing in community is understanding one another through language, culture, or experience. As we explore our community and get to know our neighbors, let's continue with some helpful language lessons.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

When we are overwhelmed by the problems of the world we turn to Jesus for strength and guidance; then he sends us back out to be a part of God’s healing for the world.Pr. Joseph G. Crippen The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, year B texts: Mark 1:29-39; Isaiah 40:21-31

Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Even allowing for Mark’s tendency to exaggerate, it must have been overwhelming.

Jesus heals a man in a synagogue. That night, at Simon Peter’s house, “the whole city was gathered around the door.” Of course there was a crowd. Once people realize there’s help available somewhere, they line up for it. Word gets out in mysterious and potent ways. Maybe all 1,500 people in Capernaum weren’t there, but it felt like it. Even Jesus was overwhelmed. After he “cured many who were sick” and cast out “many” demons, they finally got the door closed, got to bed. But in the early pre-dawn darkness, Jesus slipped out, went to a place with no people, and prayed.

What do you do when there are so many who need help, and they’ve come to you? If you’re Jesus, you help. You heal. You cast out demons. But when you can, you get away, to pray, to find open space, to clear your head and heart. To be filled up inside after pouring out so much.

But what do you do if you’re not the Son of God? What do you do when you are so overwhelmed by the needs of the world around you and you don’t think you can do anything? It’s one thing to be tired out from healing and exorcism. It’s entirely different to wake up the next morning, find the crowd gathering outside the door, and realize the only one who knows what to do has left in the middle of the night.

Our home in this story is that moment with Simon and the others at daybreak.

Of course they leave to find Jesus, hunt for him. They can’t do anything for these sick people, these hurting friends and neighbors. They know their neighbors know they don’t have that ability. These crowds grew up with boneheaded Simon; they won’t see him as a healer. So Simon and the others think, “Why try and fail when we can get Jesus, the one person who could take care of things?

Turning for help is actually also why Jesus is gone at the moment.

In need, overwhelmed, Jesus turned to the Father.

This time of prayer in a deserted place is powerful witness. We don’t understand the mystery of prayer within the life of the Trinity, but living as one of us there were many times when Jesus needed prayer.

In prayer he quiets himself, receives wisdom and encouragement, is restored by the Holy Spirit. In this moment the Triune God is once more dancing in that inner divine life, Father, Son, and Spirit moving in and among each other. After the night he had, Jesus deeply needed this communion in God.

Then he was ready to go on. When the disciples find him, he announces they’re heading for another town, to proclaim the Good News, what he came to do. He is sent to declare that God has come to be with the people of the world, bringing a rule and reign of life and love and grace. Renewed by his communion in prayer, Jesus is ready to face the overwhelming crowds again.

Now Simon and the others need to learn this pattern. So do we.

When the world’s need overwhelms us, we come here, looking for our Lord, for strength and wisdom.

Mark’s exaggeration seems apt in our time. The problems and pain of today are overwhelming, as if the whole city, the whole world, has come for help. There is more healing and restoring needed here than we can handle. If we help one person, here, or in our jobs or neighborhoods, it seems there are twenty more needing help, and there are systems that keep making more in need. We’re afraid to open the door for fear of being overrun by what we’ll see outside.

So we follow the lead of Simon Peter and the others. We come here looking for our Lord, because Jesus knows what to do when we don’t. But we also follow Jesus’ lead. We come for prayer, quiet, peace. To be filled up after pouring out. To commune with the Triune God, to be strengthened, restored.

But after restoring us, Jesus always says, “Now, here’s the plan.”

Jesus’ job isn’t to do our work. It’s to make us ready and send us out.

The disciples have no idea what to do with the needs of the crowd, so they run into the wild to find Jesus, to hand off the job, comforted they’re not in charge. But not too much later they, too, will be sent out in pairs to actually preach, actually heal, actually cast out demons. That’s Jesus’ work, to prepare the disciples, to prepare us, for our ministry in his name in the world. To change us so we can actually do it.

We come here looking for Jesus, and are restored, but we know he’s going to train us and send us back into the world. He won’t let us stay inside or hide behind his power and might, as if there’s nothing we can do.

He will send us as he sent the first ones, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, given new hearts, new strength, to know what to do with the overwhelming needs of this world. Christ’s risen life will fill our hearts to be Christ ourselves.

What do you do if you’re not the Son of God but there are so many who need help, and they’ve come to you?

You realize you are in fact a child of God, so you do what Jesus does. You help. You heal. You even drive out demons and fear. In Christ Jesus we see Isaiah’s promise come to pass, that the everlasting God who stretched out the heavens like a curtain, to whom we are like tiny grasshoppers, actually cares about us, puny as we are, and has come to lift up the lowly, strengthen the fainthearted, renew the hearts of the world. Even uproot death with resurrection life.

The only way the rest of the world will know this is if we, by our lives, our ministry, open the door of the house and go into the crowd ourselves. When we need rest, strength, the support of our Lord, we come here for life. We pray. We hear the plan for what’s next.

Then we open our doors and go back into the street. But we don’t go alone. We are filled with Christ’s grace and healing, and our risen Christ goes with us fully. We stand, then, as Christ in the face of evil and death, doing what we can. As it always has been from Simon until now, we become God’s healing, renewing, life-giving presence in this world. And we are not overwhelmed.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

In two short weeks we embark on our Lenten journey. In addition to our regular assemblies for Holy Eucharist on Sundays, we add Evening Prayer on Wednesdays, and during Holy Week (March 29-April 5) there are daily assemblies for prayer, and of course the Three Days (Triduum) with their intense focus.

Why?

Of course there are the almost obvious reasons we know and have rehearsed: Because God is central to our lives. As a community of faith, we gather regularly. As we do, we expect to participate in praise, prayer, to be challenged by God’s Word, strengthened by the meal, and sent. The season of Lent is a time where we renew our lives in Christ – recommitting to our Baptismal identity as God’s chosen. The word “discipline” gets used for the season as if a negative. I like to link the word “disciple” to that word – and ask, “What does it mean to be a disciple?”

The Wednesday Evening Prayer services are an opportunity to be reminded mid-week whose we are, to rejuvenate our efforts and focus (discipline?) of the season. Holy Week is a time when we reverse the norm: Rather than being mostly in the world and here one day, we are mostly HERE every day around this central story of Christ’s death and resurrection.

But consider the following aspect. Your presence may be what SOMEONE ELSE needs. By your being there, someone else may be drawn into participation where they may not otherwise. What do people see in our participation when they decide to be among the assembly – perhaps for the first time? Smaller gatherings especially need folks willing to carry a bit of extra weight to insure we don’t sound like an uninterested group of mumbling worshipers.

The smaller the gathering, the more stepping out with more full responses is needed! “Amen” or “Thanks be to God” – speak up!!! Sing out!! Most are a little uncomfortable singing in public, the smaller the gathering the more exposed it may feel – but if there are those here singing out (even if a few, or even one: YOU!), it’s much easier for others to enter in. Maybe they can’t sing for whatever reason – then we need to sing FOR them.

I have had too many experiences being a part of assemblies where people are afraid to sing out or speak out. It’s difficult for me to enter in, and frankly, that situation is a bit unfortunate. Smaller shouldn’t mean softer responses and singing. Just fewer in number.

Be brave. Be here. Sing and speak out. Don’t mumble.

After all – many are watching - including God. Let your inner glow be known!

•This Saturday, February 7: 9-Noon at Mount Olive – Mount Olive members Kathy Thurston and Rob Ruff will present perspectives and direction on end- of -life planning including the POLST and Honoring Choices Advance Directive.

This workshop is a follow-up to last Sunday’s Adult Forum (2/1) presentation by Pastor Crippen on this topic. The presentation was recorded by Paul Nixdorf and can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/npRfQf8TTJg

Registration for Saturday is not required, but if you know you are coming, a call or email to the church office or Marilyn Gebauer (612-306-8872, gebauevm@bitstream.net) helps us have enough handouts available. Friends and family welcome.

Feel free to stay for lunch. The Community Meal will be served at noon in the lower level.

More Helping Hands Are Needed to Feed the Homeless
Members of Mount Olive provide the evening meal at Our Saviour's Shelter the second Sunday of every month. This important ministry meets a real need right in our own neighborhood. You can serve in these ways:

Food preparation - We'll cook the meal in our kitchen Sunday afternoon.
Food transportation - We will bring the food eight blocks north to the shelter.
Serving - We'll meet the residents as we serve the meal to them.

You can find the sign-up sheet for 2015 in the East Assembly Room, near the Sunday coffee. Come and be part of this chance to help. Questions? See Elaine Halbardier or Connie Olson.

Common Hope and Taste of Guatemala at Mount Olive to be Held This Sunday, February 8

What is Mount Olive's support of Common Hope in Guatemala all about? We learned about this organization through Lisa and Mark Ruff and their family, and we were impressed with the focus on education and community development. We could see that we could learn much and could contribute much. Here's an introduction for you.

Common Hope promotes hope and opportunity in Guatemala, partnering with children, families, and communities who want to participate in a process of develop-ment to improve their lives through education, health care, and housing. Serving Guatemala since 1986.

•We EDUCATE children and help them graduate from primary and secondary school, and some continue on to college.
•We PARTNER with local schools to help them reach new standards of excellence.
•We TREAT illnesses and TEACH parents how to prevent them so that their families live healthier lives.
•We help parents BUILD houses so that their families have clean, dry, and safe places to live.

Keep Us in the Loop!
Have you moved? Are you moving? Dump your land line or get a new phone number or email address?

Please be sure to let us know so that we can update your information and keep YOU in the loop!

It’s an Open House!
All are cordially invited to an open house at the new home of Art and Dorothy Gaard.

The open house will be held this Sunday, February 8, from 2-4 pm at 502 Lynnhurst Ave. E., Apt 407, St. Paul, MN 55104.

The Gaards will celebrate their “126th anniversary” ( 63 years for Art and 63 years for Dorothy). The afternoon will also include a house blessing.

Call the Gaards (651-457-5736) with any questions you may have about parking or finding their new home.

Granlund Exhibit at Mount Olive
Mount Olive will host an exhibit of sculptures by the famed artist, Paul Granlund, beginning in mid-February and going through mid-April. The exhibit is sponsored by Mount Olive Music and Fine Arts program.

Paul Granlund wanted his sculptures to be viewed and enjoyed from all angles and even touched. The exhibit will be on display in the Chapel Lounge and assembly areas. We encourage members to invite guests to visit.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper – Bring Your Palms!
The Shrove Tuesday pancake supper will be held on Tuesday, February 17, from 6 to 6:45 pm. Everyone is invited for an evening of pancakes and fun! At 6:45 pm we will observe the burning of the palms for the Ash Wednesday ashes.

Bring your dried palms from last Palm Sunday and leave them in the basket in the narthex. They will be burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday liturgies.

An Evening with Donald Jackson
Concordia University St. Paul invites all to a rare U.S. speaking engagement by Donald Jackson, renowned British calligrapher, illuminator, and artistic director of The Saint John's Bible. This event will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2015, from 7:00 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. at Buetow Music Auditorium, Concordia University St. Paul, 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104.

This event is free and seating will be on a first come first served basis.

Lent BeginsAsh Wednesday, February 18Holy Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes at Noon & 7:00 p.m.All are welcome.

Book Discussion Group’s Upcoming Reads
For their meeting February 14, the Book Discussion Group will read Wise Blood, by Flannery O’Connor. For their meeting on March 14, they will read The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho.

A Reminder About Parking at Church
All who come to Mount Olive (for Sunday worship particularly) are asked to reserve the handicapped parking places in the north lot for those who need them (and there are several who do need them!) Also, please remember that the spaces with diagonal stripes near the sidewalk are to be left open so that those who park in the adjacent spot can actually get out of their cars to come in to church.

Thanks for doing what you can to make things as easy as possible for everyone who comes to Mount Olive.

Vision Expression
Vestry members will host Listening Sessions on five consecutive Sundays, beginning on Feb. 15. These events are designed to be an opportunity to give and receive feedback on the Vision Expression document which was presented after liturgy on Sunday, January 25. Copies of this document are available in the church office.

Watch for these sessions and attend as many as you wish.

On March 22, we will have a larger congregational update for everyone.

News from the NeighborhoodAnna Kingman

In effort to share in the relationships being built through our interaction in the neighborhood, we will hear from the people who find support, relief, and help through Mount Olive.

Profiles: Writings from Rodney
I introduced you to Rodney a few weeks ago and many more have had the pleasure of meeting him at church. Rodney has a very interesting, difficult story, but throughout his trials he has developed a talent and interest in writing. He believes this is a gift from God as a method to share with others. Here is a short excerpt from #84, Fare for Fair, of a collection of 128 writings. Full copies of some writings may be found on the new cabinet on the south wall of the West Assembly area.

“The heart has the ability to heal, endure, satisfy, gratify, love overcome, ease pain, bear with, care, share, see, touch, smell, here, taste, delight, desire, retrieve, forgive, calm, war, sense, determine, change, pretend, understand, and smile just to name the minimal. The abilities of the heart know no bounds and are without measure. Yes, who can search the heart of man? God, and whomever he elects to gift that ability to. Everything imaginable and even that which is unimaginable lies within the heart…”

Opportunities to BE involved: Tuesday Night Tutoring – it’s a blast!
We have a weekly Tuesday night tutoring program from 7:00pm-8:30pm. There are great kids involved and we try to keep it to a one-to-one ratio to really build relationships and be mentors to these young students. It’s an hour of tutoring and a group activity with a snack and will be the highlight of your week!

If you are able or interested in helping for an evening or learning more please contact Anna at: neighborhood@mountolivechurch.org.

Getting to Know Our Neighbors
Part of sharing in community is understanding one another through language, culture, or experience. As we explore our community and get to know our neighbors, let's continue with some helpful language lessons.